'Socially distanced Venetian gondolas!' – Rufus Wainwright on his dream festival

With festival season cancelled, we’re starting a new series asking stars for their dream lineups. First up is Rufus Wainwright, blending opera and Florence Welch

Location

I am a big fan of Venice and my husband and I have spent quite a bit of time there. Even when it’s teeming with tourists – which it won’t be now – I find it gloriously enthralling, so my festival would simply have to be there. Everyone would ride gondolas so we’d all be socially distanced and there would be a beautiful band show on one of the islands. It would be kinda like going to a drive-in, but a boat-in.

The headline act

I have often wondered about why most festivals don’t have a wider variety of acts, because I’ve always had a penchant for different universes of music. In vaudevillian times they might have a magic act followed by a comedian. Some years ago, there was an act of a Wagner opera performed at Glastonbury [by the English National Opera in 2004], and I like the idea of mixing opera with rock and pop. Opera is as much about what’s going on in the audience as what’s going onstage – historically, people would hang out at the opera house to enjoy the intrigue and scandal. So instead of the usual short break where people go and buy a sausage roll, it would be fun to have a whole opera like Tosca interspersed between each act.

For my headliners, Florence + the Machine would fit well with the opera. Florence Welch isn’t just a fantastic performer, she also has an operatic flair. I saw her once at the Hollywood Bowl and it was one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen in my life. I was blown away.

Five more acts

Things would start early in the morning with the first act of Tosca, delivered by the Teatro La Fenice. After the first act we’d have a folk acoustic set, then Martha Wainwright. Watching my sister is a triple-edged sword. On one hand I’m overwhelmed by love – she’s probably my closest relative and we started off performing together. The singer in me can be competitive, but I’m a big fan and it’s nice to just sit down and enjoy her music as a fellow human being. Father John Misty would be next because I’d be looking for performers who really know how to command a stage. Björk is almost creating her own opera-like existence with art and costumes. She’s highly influenced by the sorcery of the stage and she herself is kind of a legendary operatic character. As the day goes on, Perfume Genius would be a perfect sunset artist. He’s very playful and humorous, which is not as common as one might think. By now, people are pretty inebriated and ready to let loose, so I’d bring out the DJs, maybe Mark Ronson and Kid Koala. There would be serious lifeboats in case anyone fell off their boat. I like legacy acts so Neil Young would be fun. Sigur Rós. Oh and Lizzo … and Beyoncé! It’s my dream festival, right? So money is no object.

The non-musical activity

I envisage a one-day event – you’re not going to spend a weekend on a gondola. But it would be good if people could swim. I imagine the water is a lot cleaner now, because of lockdown.

The food

I’m not sure a stand would work with gondolas, but being in Italy you would have the most amazing Italian food shuttled over to the boats. So I’d imagine an elaborate breakfast, lunch and dinner, pasta and ravioli, all washed down with wine during the opera sections. A true Italian food fest!

• Rufus Wainwright’s new album Unfollow the Rules is released on 10 July on BMG

Contributor

Interview by Dave Simpson

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Melanie C's fantasy festival: Beyoncé, Prince and five kinds of chips
The Spice Girls star heads to the Lake District for a carb-laden, booze-heavy weekend with Queen, the Beatles and more

Interview by Dave Simpson

27, Aug, 2020 @4:00 PM

Article image
All Points East review – Björk brings life to corporate festival newcomer
Big-hitting headliners such as LCD Soundsystem and Lorde made the first All Points East a success, but thin afternoon bills and a fuzzy identity didn’t help

Rachel Aroesti

28, May, 2018 @10:10 AM

Article image
Rufus and Martha Wainwright review – quirky, magnificent festive blowout
Chrissie Hynde, Neil Tennant and Sophie Ellis-Bextor joyously topped up the Wainwright siblings’ big-hearted Christmas fundraiser, A Not So Silent Night

Ian Gittins

08, Dec, 2019 @11:36 AM

Article image
Rufus Wainwright to take up Royal Opera House residency
'All the crowned heads of Europe will be getting on Eurostar,' jokes singer as he prepares for summer concert series

Charlotte Higgins, chief arts writer

22, Nov, 2010 @2:51 PM

Article image
IAMDDB's fantasy festival: 'Rihanna's got to be there – she's a buff ting!'
The Manchester rapper imagines 48 hours in Ibiza surrounded by Black Coffee, Megan Thee Stallion and her own octopus recipe

Interview by Timi Sotire

31, Jul, 2020 @9:00 AM

Article image
Rufus Wainwright: 'Opera chose me'

Rufus Wainwright will be at London's Royal Opera House for the first time to perform with his sister and father. He talks about Verdi, becoming a father and the death of his mother last year

Nicholas Wroe

17, Jun, 2011 @10:55 PM

Article image
Glastonbury 2015 verdict: Florence + the Machine, Kanye West, the Who and more
Florence Welch pulled out all the stops, while Kanye’s set was faltering and relatively restrained. But everyone was talking about the rapper – even Sunday’s closing act the Who, says Alexis Petridis

Alexis Petridis

29, Jun, 2015 @7:00 AM

Article image
Wilderness festival review – crowd go politely wild for Björk and Ben Howard
Björk dazzled with an uncompromising set and Ben Howard channelled his inner James Blake. But this genteel festival makes Latitude look like Altamont

Ian Gittins

10, Aug, 2015 @12:17 PM

Article image
Lars Ulrich's fantasy festival: AC/DC and Bob Marley on Easter Island
As well as brushing up on Polynesian migration paths with a falafel in hand, the Metallica drummer imagines ancient rock giants next to giant ancient rocks

Interview by Dave Simpson

20, Aug, 2020 @4:00 PM

Article image
‘We came and we conquered’: the Glastonbury I’ll never forget, by Skin, Rufus Wainwright and others
In the first part of our series, musicians and journalists recall their most memorable years at Worthy Farm – mud, romance, royalty and all

Skin and Rufus Wainwright, interviewed by Emine Saner, plus Kate Hutchinson and Alexis Petridis

21, Jun, 2022 @1:37 PM